Today we decided to sleep in a bit and we had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel then suited up and headed out to South Plateau Trail.
It was snowing when we woke up, and it snowed for almost the entire day. We got to see various types of snow - from wet slushy globs to large ice pieces to small pieces of sleet-like pellets. We stopped several times for the kids to play in the snow, to turn around to make course corrections because my map reading and navigational skills were a little COLD, but we did not have any mishaps before lunch. We stopped at Meadow Creek Lodge in Idaho (trails here are like some highways - interstate!) and had burgers and fries, no cherry pies though! Food was good but we must have hit there just 15 seconds after all nine hundred other people on snowmobiles today did - waited 20 or so minutes for a table, then waited 55 minutes for food! It was good, the place was warm and people were friendly though!
After our burger stop we decided to retrace our steps to go to Big Spring - which we had originally skipped to cut the trip shorter. After hearing oohs and ahhs from folks who had just come there, we decided to make our way there. One mishap on this leg was that Chuck was trying to avoid the ruts in the trail, and managed to find an airpocket of sorts in the snow and got stuck -- but the nice friendly group that happened by at that time did not laugh, they got off their sleds and pulled his sled out! What nice people we have encountered here! We made our way to Big Spring and it really was pretty. Kids got to throw bread to ducks, we saw muskrats, and kids got to play in the snow again.
After leaving Big Spring area, we found the most awful trail in the area - it was rutted beyond belief, we could only go about 15-20 miles per hour and by the time we finally got off that trail, we knew that we had been shaken! We encountered several snowmobilers on the trails, and one who even had an open backpack on his and was leaving most of his gear along the trail!
As the sky was getting darker, and the snow was picking up as well as the winds, we made our way back to West Yellowstone and shucked our snow gear. It didn't take long for the kids to decide that they needed to soak in the hot tub to make up for the day on the snowmobiles. I was relegated to laundry and posting to the blog while Dad got observation duty.....but all in all it was a great day of adventure.
I uploaded more photos to the album from yesterday - click here to see them!
Tomorrow we ride with our favorite Yellowstone guide Dan -- we're either going to Grand Canyon of Yellowstone or Old Faithful - either way, it will be a picture-taking day!
Be safe and have a Happy New Year - we'll be up here!
The Frolicking Featherstons
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Yellowstone Adventure - Part Two - Day One
So we left Houston Wednesday morning heading to West Yellowstone, MT by way of Denver, CO and Bozeman, MT. Having realized that traveling for business and getting up before the crack of dawn was not a bad thing, doing so for a family vacation was not ideal......so I scheduled our departure for a respectable 8:45 AM .... well, United did....
So anyway, we made it to The Dotted Bus, then Terminal C, made our flight, made our connection in Bozeman, and then had no real problems getting from Bozeman to West Yellowstone....pretty uneventful, but beautiful trip. We even had time to improve the local economy and purchase a few needed items at the local WalMart.
We saw lots of snow from the air as we landed in Denver, then were surprised at the lack of snow as we landed in Bozeman, MT. It was warmer in Bozeman than it was when we left Houston! We traveled along the Gallatin River for quite some time, then just as we entered Yellowstone National Park heading south, it started to snow - and it was really cool watching the wind blow the snow across the road. We made it to the hotel, unpacked and then went in search of the best pizza we'd ever eaten -- a Sitting Bull at Wild West Pizza!
After pizza and a short swim, the kids were beat so we called it a night. Last sight out of the window from the hotel was of blowing snow that was adding more of a white blanket to everything here. Seems that while there is snow here, it is not as much as this time last year according to the locals.....but, we were here to see the white stuff and we weren't disappointed!
Today we started with breakfast, then off to pick up our snowmobiles at Yellowstone Adventures. There are over 400 miles of groomed trails in the area adjacent to Yellowstone National Park and then an additional 500 or so inside the park. We rode the Two Top Loop Trail, Lionhead Trail, Twin Valleys Trail, then back to Two Top Loop and returned to West Yellowstone....all together we only put 50 miles on the sleds. Kids really thought that we were "speeding" on the snowmobiles and were quite surprised to learn that we did not exceed 30 mph and rarely went over 20 mph! There were, however, many folks that flew past us with much more life insurance than we had! There were several groups that sped past us with helmet cams.....might have to search on YouTube and see if we made the cut!
Not many pictures yet, but they can be seen here.....more as I can take them!
We're having a blast.....hope you are too!
The Frolicking Featherstons
So anyway, we made it to The Dotted Bus, then Terminal C, made our flight, made our connection in Bozeman, and then had no real problems getting from Bozeman to West Yellowstone....pretty uneventful, but beautiful trip. We even had time to improve the local economy and purchase a few needed items at the local WalMart.
We saw lots of snow from the air as we landed in Denver, then were surprised at the lack of snow as we landed in Bozeman, MT. It was warmer in Bozeman than it was when we left Houston! We traveled along the Gallatin River for quite some time, then just as we entered Yellowstone National Park heading south, it started to snow - and it was really cool watching the wind blow the snow across the road. We made it to the hotel, unpacked and then went in search of the best pizza we'd ever eaten -- a Sitting Bull at Wild West Pizza!
After pizza and a short swim, the kids were beat so we called it a night. Last sight out of the window from the hotel was of blowing snow that was adding more of a white blanket to everything here. Seems that while there is snow here, it is not as much as this time last year according to the locals.....but, we were here to see the white stuff and we weren't disappointed!
Today we started with breakfast, then off to pick up our snowmobiles at Yellowstone Adventures. There are over 400 miles of groomed trails in the area adjacent to Yellowstone National Park and then an additional 500 or so inside the park. We rode the Two Top Loop Trail, Lionhead Trail, Twin Valleys Trail, then back to Two Top Loop and returned to West Yellowstone....all together we only put 50 miles on the sleds. Kids really thought that we were "speeding" on the snowmobiles and were quite surprised to learn that we did not exceed 30 mph and rarely went over 20 mph! There were, however, many folks that flew past us with much more life insurance than we had! There were several groups that sped past us with helmet cams.....might have to search on YouTube and see if we made the cut!
Not many pictures yet, but they can be seen here.....more as I can take them!
We're having a blast.....hope you are too!
The Frolicking Featherstons
Saturday, September 17, 2011
One Day to Play....in NJ, PA & DE
I do remote trial setups for a law firm ... and every once in a while I will have time to take in the sites of the location we are in. I happened to have a Saturday free and the only duty to perform was to be in Wilmington, DE by 10AM Sunday morning to meet a freight truck....so I grabbed Garmina (our trusty GPS...) and my other two faithful companions (Canon camera and National Parks Passport book!) and took off for historical sites on a stamp collection mission. Starting off the day in New Jersey, I made my way to the New Jersey State House. After spending a few moments at the New Jersey War Memorial, I shot a pics of the area and State House then made my way west. (Too bad State Capitals don't have a stamp program -- I would have 34 of those babies!)
First stop was the Independence National Historic Park - home to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. As luck would have it, Independence Hall is undergoing renovation so there is scaffolding around a portion of it - the most picturesque part! I took a few pics then made my way to the Liberty Bell. I took a picture with my BlackBerry and sent it to my kids with the subject line "guess what Mommy saw this morning?" It was barely 9 AM in Houston when I was trekking around so I knew they were home - awake was a different story! But they were and were excited that I sent them a picture.
I had visited Valley Forge once before when I was in the area for another trial a few years ago, and made a return trip today. Being a southerner who has limited experience in snow, it is still difficult for me to comprehend how soldiers, young soldiers, fought in the dead of winter in this area. There is an "encampment tour" that you can walk or drive and I drove it again today. There are "log cabins" in small groupings in which General Washington and his men camped during December 1777 through June 1778. There are volunteers who man "stations" and provide good photo ops for those of us wanting them, and they provide good information as well. I enjoyed having the windows down in the rental car -- it was a breezy 64 degrees most of the day but overcast skies. There are trees here that as you can imagine, are well over a hundred years old. There are hickory trees, several types of oaks, several types of cedar and pines, and lots of native grasses and wildflowers. Dense stands of trees and the native grasses make for perfect cover for wildlife - today I saw squirrels and about 7 deer just munching in a meadow -- they heard the click of my camera and looked up but were not bothered by me and I let them munch.
One of the things that I frequently see on my trips is a fire truck -- not that I always look for one - but I typically manage to see one and today was no different. Although, having wildfires in Texas this summer, I wondered if there was a reason this one was making its way through the encampment tour! The driver must have just wanted to take a scenic drive.
The Washington Memorial Chapel & Tower in Valley Forge is a masterful piece of workmanship. It was built honoring General George Washington and the men that fought with the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War. There is a bell located in the tower named "The Justice Bell". It is a replica of the Liberty Bell and was used in the woman's Suffrage movement. Also inside the tower is a mosaic of General Washington high up on the wall, as well as a stained glass window depicting the General praying. As you look directly overhead, there is a mobile of what appears to be a cannon and I think (based on text on the ring around it) that it was put up by the Daughters of the America Revolution. The artistry and craftsmanship in the tower just can't be conveyed through pictures. In the chapel, there are carvings of infantry men in an area that is cordoned off from visitors - but still within view. The flags of the states are depicted on the front of the front row of pews. The chapel is home to an active Episcopalian congregation.
After Valley Forge it was back to Philly to the Edgar Allen Poe Historical Site. He lived in this house with his wife and mother-in-law and it was a rather small house - but as he and his family had lived as simply as they could prior to this home, it was said to be the largest home they occupied. He lived in the house between 1843 and 1844. I believe and wrote short stories The Gold Bug, The Tell Tale Heart, Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Black Cat while living here. (My 8th grade literature teacher Mrs. McKay would be so proud of me!!)
From the Poe house I went to the Benjamin Franklin Memorial at the Franklin Science Museum. They were setting up for a dinner of some sort so I couldn't get much more than a picture of the huge seated statue of Mr. Franklin. I would love to bring the family here to spend a day going through this place! There is an exhibit about mummies and it looks like a real "touchy-feely" kinds of places that kids love....
A day of picture taking ended with dinner then on to the hotel I will be at for our stay in Wilmington -- stay tuned for more frolicking - next time with the entire family hopefully!
Enjoy the pictures of the day....click here !
First stop was the Independence National Historic Park - home to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. As luck would have it, Independence Hall is undergoing renovation so there is scaffolding around a portion of it - the most picturesque part! I took a few pics then made my way to the Liberty Bell. I took a picture with my BlackBerry and sent it to my kids with the subject line "guess what Mommy saw this morning?" It was barely 9 AM in Houston when I was trekking around so I knew they were home - awake was a different story! But they were and were excited that I sent them a picture.
I had visited Valley Forge once before when I was in the area for another trial a few years ago, and made a return trip today. Being a southerner who has limited experience in snow, it is still difficult for me to comprehend how soldiers, young soldiers, fought in the dead of winter in this area. There is an "encampment tour" that you can walk or drive and I drove it again today. There are "log cabins" in small groupings in which General Washington and his men camped during December 1777 through June 1778. There are volunteers who man "stations" and provide good photo ops for those of us wanting them, and they provide good information as well. I enjoyed having the windows down in the rental car -- it was a breezy 64 degrees most of the day but overcast skies. There are trees here that as you can imagine, are well over a hundred years old. There are hickory trees, several types of oaks, several types of cedar and pines, and lots of native grasses and wildflowers. Dense stands of trees and the native grasses make for perfect cover for wildlife - today I saw squirrels and about 7 deer just munching in a meadow -- they heard the click of my camera and looked up but were not bothered by me and I let them munch.
One of the things that I frequently see on my trips is a fire truck -- not that I always look for one - but I typically manage to see one and today was no different. Although, having wildfires in Texas this summer, I wondered if there was a reason this one was making its way through the encampment tour! The driver must have just wanted to take a scenic drive.
The Washington Memorial Chapel & Tower in Valley Forge is a masterful piece of workmanship. It was built honoring General George Washington and the men that fought with the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War. There is a bell located in the tower named "The Justice Bell". It is a replica of the Liberty Bell and was used in the woman's Suffrage movement. Also inside the tower is a mosaic of General Washington high up on the wall, as well as a stained glass window depicting the General praying. As you look directly overhead, there is a mobile of what appears to be a cannon and I think (based on text on the ring around it) that it was put up by the Daughters of the America Revolution. The artistry and craftsmanship in the tower just can't be conveyed through pictures. In the chapel, there are carvings of infantry men in an area that is cordoned off from visitors - but still within view. The flags of the states are depicted on the front of the front row of pews. The chapel is home to an active Episcopalian congregation.
After Valley Forge it was back to Philly to the Edgar Allen Poe Historical Site. He lived in this house with his wife and mother-in-law and it was a rather small house - but as he and his family had lived as simply as they could prior to this home, it was said to be the largest home they occupied. He lived in the house between 1843 and 1844. I believe and wrote short stories The Gold Bug, The Tell Tale Heart, Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Black Cat while living here. (My 8th grade literature teacher Mrs. McKay would be so proud of me!!)
From the Poe house I went to the Benjamin Franklin Memorial at the Franklin Science Museum. They were setting up for a dinner of some sort so I couldn't get much more than a picture of the huge seated statue of Mr. Franklin. I would love to bring the family here to spend a day going through this place! There is an exhibit about mummies and it looks like a real "touchy-feely" kinds of places that kids love....
A day of picture taking ended with dinner then on to the hotel I will be at for our stay in Wilmington -- stay tuned for more frolicking - next time with the entire family hopefully!
Enjoy the pictures of the day....click here !
Monday, April 4, 2011
Spring in Texas = BLUEBONNETS!
We did our annual bluebonnet trek out northwest to Brenham, Burton and beyond trying to get pics of the kids in the bluebonnets....this is a Texas tradition that I have whole-heartedly embraced!
We stopped at a gas station in Brenham that has a hill behind it. In years past, the hill was a sea of bluebonnets and some paintbrushes....but this year there were noticeably fewer blooms. We did manage to find a nice patch for a few poses.....
In addition to the stop at Brenham we made a stop at Burton. It is just a little way past Brenham, but we found a nice large patch and were able to take a few more shots. While in Burton, we lunched at Burton Cafe - schnitzel and German potatoes for Chuck and I and the kids enjoyed some chicken fried steak. The best part of the meal was the desserts.....cherry tart, blueberry tart and an apple tart. Flakiest pastry I have ever had! Like Arnold says, "we'll be back!"
On our way home we detoured to one of our favorite State Parks - Washington on the Brazos. We encountered one of the locals, a Southern copperhead, but did not exchange pleasantries....unless you call him turning tail and slithering into the woods "pleasantries"....although, I was a much more pleasant mom prior to seeing him....but to each his own!
We love spring in Texas.....bluebonnets, wildflowers and yes, even some slithery slimies....enjoy it for yourself!
Catch you next time!
The Frolicking Featherstons......
Saturday, March 19, 2011
"Hoodoo you think you are?"
We started today at IHOP - take my word for it, stay away from the stuffed french toast - OMG! Cream filled (as in Bavarian Cream Donut) and drenched in strawberries and strawberry syrup, topped off with whipped cream.....oh man, just give me enough so I can make my hips and buttocks even as I can imagine that that is where this stuff will head!
Bryce Canyon was our destination today and not having been here before, but having combed several books on the place, we were ready to be awed by nature......and we were not disappointed. You enter by traveling through aptly named Red Canyon - where you drive through not one but two arched tunnels. Great photo ops fer sure!
Ever heard the song "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perry? There is a line in there "who do you think you are, running 'round leaving scars, collecting your jar of hearts"....well, Bryce Canyon has a geological phenomenon called "hoodoos". This song played through my head as we drove through the park today. I think the hoodoos captured my heart!
Hoodoos are actually piles of sandstone that have been whipped and eroded by wind, rain and other elements and all throughout the many canyons you can see hoodoos in various shapes and sizes. After contributing to the well-being of the local economy and getting stamps for our passports, we stopped and looked at Agua Canyon, Black Birch Canyon, Bryce Point, Farway View, Rainbow Point and Sheep Canyon. All of the vistas are breath-taking....but Rainbow Point was the highest elevation we reached (9115 feet) and it was by far the coldest, most snowless blizzard we have ever experienced! It was a good thing that there were rails to keep things from going into the canyon as that wind could have blown even large objects into the canyon - whew! It was cold! Temperature in the car said about 36 but I wish we had had a wind meter as I would have bet that the wind would have exceeded 40 mph!
We encountered a few feathered friends at the various points we stopped - a raven (who had extremely acute hearing that liked pre-chewed beef jerky), a Steller's jay that looked at us and basically posed for a photo op, and a small chickadee that was so excited to see the camera that he could not stay on the log on which he was landing!
After taking in all of the sights in the southern area of the national park, we decided to head north to see if we could hike the Mossy Cave trail and find the waterfall. You know those great intentions that oft go astray - well that is an apt description of this afternoon. We headed to Mossy Cave but we never found it. Either the federal budget cuts forced the removal of the sign, or some animal removed it because we never saw it. We knew that we had passed all chances of seeing that cave when we saw the signs for entering "Great Staircase - Escalante National Monument". We continued on to this area that does in fact look like staircases from heaven to valleys below. Many different shades of orange, red, brown, green provide a kaleidoscope for your eyes! We made our way through the Dixie National Forest (settlers of the area thought that the climate reminded them of their native "Dixie" so they called this by that name.)
Picture this - a two lane road about 30 feet wide, with sheer cliffs on either side that drop about 5000 feet down. Can you say that you would be driving the speed limit? Luckily the speed limit was 25 mph....and I can imagine that it took some pretty disastrous events for them to post that speed limit. While we traveled through the national forest and monument, we encountered some interesting wildlife - wild turkeys and a herd of about 50 elk. The elk were foraging in a valley about 30 feet below the right side of the roadway - they were all female and we could not see any males. Since we were in high elevation, there was still plenty of snow so the finding of food for wildlife is difficult. The elk did not seem to bothered by our watching them so we took a few photos and then moved on to more narrow roads with sheer cliff sides.
Chuck and I have always taken the road less traveled, and Highway 12, the Scenic Drive in Southern Utah, is definitely the road less traveled. We encountered less than 25 cars on the entire route....too bad all those folks who were not on this road missed this natural beauty. After reaching the end of Highway 12 on Torrey, we enjoyed dinner at Sandstone Restaurant and Conference Center then headed west on Highway 24 to Richfield, UT where we will spend the night. The hotel we are staying in has an indoor pool so Rachel and Chuck can swim, Ryan and I will wash clothes and I can keep all of our friends and family jealous that we are frolicking without them......but any of you can do this same trip - I will even let you borrow my books. You are on your own for gas money and your passport for the National Parks!
Click here for photos from the day - prepare to be awed!
We're pretty open for tomorrow, and our only concrete plans are to spend the night back in Salt Lake City so that we can catch our flight on Monday afternoon. Who knows what kind of adventures we will find.....we'll fill you in later!
The Frolicking Featherstons
Bryce Canyon was our destination today and not having been here before, but having combed several books on the place, we were ready to be awed by nature......and we were not disappointed. You enter by traveling through aptly named Red Canyon - where you drive through not one but two arched tunnels. Great photo ops fer sure!
Ever heard the song "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perry? There is a line in there "who do you think you are, running 'round leaving scars, collecting your jar of hearts"....well, Bryce Canyon has a geological phenomenon called "hoodoos". This song played through my head as we drove through the park today. I think the hoodoos captured my heart!
Hoodoos are actually piles of sandstone that have been whipped and eroded by wind, rain and other elements and all throughout the many canyons you can see hoodoos in various shapes and sizes. After contributing to the well-being of the local economy and getting stamps for our passports, we stopped and looked at Agua Canyon, Black Birch Canyon, Bryce Point, Farway View, Rainbow Point and Sheep Canyon. All of the vistas are breath-taking....but Rainbow Point was the highest elevation we reached (9115 feet) and it was by far the coldest, most snowless blizzard we have ever experienced! It was a good thing that there were rails to keep things from going into the canyon as that wind could have blown even large objects into the canyon - whew! It was cold! Temperature in the car said about 36 but I wish we had had a wind meter as I would have bet that the wind would have exceeded 40 mph!
We encountered a few feathered friends at the various points we stopped - a raven (who had extremely acute hearing that liked pre-chewed beef jerky), a Steller's jay that looked at us and basically posed for a photo op, and a small chickadee that was so excited to see the camera that he could not stay on the log on which he was landing!
After taking in all of the sights in the southern area of the national park, we decided to head north to see if we could hike the Mossy Cave trail and find the waterfall. You know those great intentions that oft go astray - well that is an apt description of this afternoon. We headed to Mossy Cave but we never found it. Either the federal budget cuts forced the removal of the sign, or some animal removed it because we never saw it. We knew that we had passed all chances of seeing that cave when we saw the signs for entering "Great Staircase - Escalante National Monument". We continued on to this area that does in fact look like staircases from heaven to valleys below. Many different shades of orange, red, brown, green provide a kaleidoscope for your eyes! We made our way through the Dixie National Forest (settlers of the area thought that the climate reminded them of their native "Dixie" so they called this by that name.)
Picture this - a two lane road about 30 feet wide, with sheer cliffs on either side that drop about 5000 feet down. Can you say that you would be driving the speed limit? Luckily the speed limit was 25 mph....and I can imagine that it took some pretty disastrous events for them to post that speed limit. While we traveled through the national forest and monument, we encountered some interesting wildlife - wild turkeys and a herd of about 50 elk. The elk were foraging in a valley about 30 feet below the right side of the roadway - they were all female and we could not see any males. Since we were in high elevation, there was still plenty of snow so the finding of food for wildlife is difficult. The elk did not seem to bothered by our watching them so we took a few photos and then moved on to more narrow roads with sheer cliff sides.
Chuck and I have always taken the road less traveled, and Highway 12, the Scenic Drive in Southern Utah, is definitely the road less traveled. We encountered less than 25 cars on the entire route....too bad all those folks who were not on this road missed this natural beauty. After reaching the end of Highway 12 on Torrey, we enjoyed dinner at Sandstone Restaurant and Conference Center then headed west on Highway 24 to Richfield, UT where we will spend the night. The hotel we are staying in has an indoor pool so Rachel and Chuck can swim, Ryan and I will wash clothes and I can keep all of our friends and family jealous that we are frolicking without them......but any of you can do this same trip - I will even let you borrow my books. You are on your own for gas money and your passport for the National Parks!
Click here for photos from the day - prepare to be awed!
We're pretty open for tomorrow, and our only concrete plans are to spend the night back in Salt Lake City so that we can catch our flight on Monday afternoon. Who knows what kind of adventures we will find.....we'll fill you in later!
The Frolicking Featherstons
Friday, March 18, 2011
Zion National Park - Awesome Revisited
You may recall that we visited Zion National Park in November 2007 and were awed by the sheer vertical cliffs and red sandstone. That hasn't changed.
We headed south on I-15 to Kolob Canyons - the northwestern region of Zion National Park. We had not been able to visit this section of the park on the previous trip so this was new to us. We got the requisite stamps in our passports and supported the local economy once again then drove the 5 mile scenic drive to the top of the mountain. We saw a squirrel dart across the road then scurry up a rock and pose for a picture! (Don't laugh - but he was the only wildlife we saw other than two birds!)
After leaving Kolob Canyon, we listened to our growling tummies and headed to Hurricane, UT -- like they have a reason to be called Hurricane! -- and had lunch. Funny thing about the folks that travel within Utah -- either they don't eat on the road or they bring picnic lunches as there are fewer restaurants along the roadside than there are checkers open at the super center! After lunch we took the scenic route to Zion National Park and made our way to the Visitor Center (more stamps!) then we went for a hike. We hiked up the side of the mountain to see Weeping Rock and the waterfall. On our way I spotted a young man wearing a Cypress Ridge High School shirt -- that school is less than 4 miles from our house! This is a gorgeous site. As we were heading down the mountain, a large crowd passed us. Moments later we heard loud shrieks -- turns out that they had all filled the small walkway behind the waterfall and the wind that had been blowing one direction shifted and soaked everyone on the walkway! Timing is everything, eh? :)
After visiting Weeping Rock we continued on the scenic route that we had not taken on our first visit and saw the Court of the Patriarchs....so named by early explorers of the park. The peaks are named Abraham, Isaac and Jacob after three Hebrew prophets. After Court of the Patriarchs, the road twists and turns to the Temple of Sinawava - an outdoor "amphitheater" that has vertical red sandstone walls and a beautiful waterfall. Here the kids got to do something they had been asking to do for days....throw rocks in the water! They lobbed rocks of every shape and size into that river and had a blast.
The road forces you to return the way you came at the Temple of Sinawava so we retraced our steps and found our way to the tunnels in the park. One thing you notice as you are wending your way up the mountain is that every once in a while you see what look to be like arched windows cut into the side of the mountain. From the road they appear to be just black portholes, but once you are driving in the tunnel (1.1 miles long, completed in about 2 years in 1930) you see the portholes of light and they offer vistas that are breathtaking.
After you go through the long tunnel, you exit into what appears to be an entirely geologically different area. Whereas the first part is red and dark red sprinkled with some light sandstone, mostly hard looking rocks, the area you exit into after the tunnel is much lighter, much more sandstone and definitely much softer stone than in the first part. The Checkerboard Mesa is here - and it is a large hill that looks like someone has drawn lines to represent a checkerboard on the sandstone. We made our way to the east entrance and turned around to retrace our steps as we had a special treat planned - a sunset safari in an open-air vehicle! We had not told the kids about this, so it was a treat to them.
As we were waiting for the magical hour, we picnicked on ham and turkey sandwiches and chips. Not a gourmet meal, but we were together in one of the most beautiful places, what more could we want? An open air jeep ride at sunset!
Zion Sunset Safaris takes folks in modified Ford F250 trucks with a roll bar cage at the back and seating for 12. We would go onto "backcountry" routes (read REALLY BUMPY ROADS!!) and make it to a plateau to view the sunset. Our guide Bruce was great - he took us up the mountain and regaled us with stories and trivial bits as we went along.....like the bridge that we went over was originally completed in the 1930's.....and that the road that we were on was THE ROUTE from the town of Springdale to the Grand Canyon prior to the completion of the longer tunnel in Zion. Seems that the tunnel route took 60 miles off of the trip. He called the hill that we were traversing "Grafton's Hill" and my comment was that I would swapped the "i" in Hill for an "e" for a more apt description. That road was awful....bumpy does not begin to describe it....but for the view of the sunset and rising full moon, it was almost worth it. In addition to seeing a really neat sunset, we saw some cows with bells around their necks and their little calves. Bruce commented that "even Momma cows like their bling!" I agree!
Our safari ended after one last bump down Grafton Hill and going back over the ancient bridge
to our starting point at Majestic View Lodge. A short ride to the hotel later and we were ready for bed!
Click here for the sights of the day.....
Looking forward to Bryce Canyon and other interesting points on Saturday!
The Frolicking Featherstons
We headed south on I-15 to Kolob Canyons - the northwestern region of Zion National Park. We had not been able to visit this section of the park on the previous trip so this was new to us. We got the requisite stamps in our passports and supported the local economy once again then drove the 5 mile scenic drive to the top of the mountain. We saw a squirrel dart across the road then scurry up a rock and pose for a picture! (Don't laugh - but he was the only wildlife we saw other than two birds!)
After leaving Kolob Canyon, we listened to our growling tummies and headed to Hurricane, UT -- like they have a reason to be called Hurricane! -- and had lunch. Funny thing about the folks that travel within Utah -- either they don't eat on the road or they bring picnic lunches as there are fewer restaurants along the roadside than there are checkers open at the super center! After lunch we took the scenic route to Zion National Park and made our way to the Visitor Center (more stamps!) then we went for a hike. We hiked up the side of the mountain to see Weeping Rock and the waterfall. On our way I spotted a young man wearing a Cypress Ridge High School shirt -- that school is less than 4 miles from our house! This is a gorgeous site. As we were heading down the mountain, a large crowd passed us. Moments later we heard loud shrieks -- turns out that they had all filled the small walkway behind the waterfall and the wind that had been blowing one direction shifted and soaked everyone on the walkway! Timing is everything, eh? :)
After visiting Weeping Rock we continued on the scenic route that we had not taken on our first visit and saw the Court of the Patriarchs....so named by early explorers of the park. The peaks are named Abraham, Isaac and Jacob after three Hebrew prophets. After Court of the Patriarchs, the road twists and turns to the Temple of Sinawava - an outdoor "amphitheater" that has vertical red sandstone walls and a beautiful waterfall. Here the kids got to do something they had been asking to do for days....throw rocks in the water! They lobbed rocks of every shape and size into that river and had a blast.
The road forces you to return the way you came at the Temple of Sinawava so we retraced our steps and found our way to the tunnels in the park. One thing you notice as you are wending your way up the mountain is that every once in a while you see what look to be like arched windows cut into the side of the mountain. From the road they appear to be just black portholes, but once you are driving in the tunnel (1.1 miles long, completed in about 2 years in 1930) you see the portholes of light and they offer vistas that are breathtaking.
After you go through the long tunnel, you exit into what appears to be an entirely geologically different area. Whereas the first part is red and dark red sprinkled with some light sandstone, mostly hard looking rocks, the area you exit into after the tunnel is much lighter, much more sandstone and definitely much softer stone than in the first part. The Checkerboard Mesa is here - and it is a large hill that looks like someone has drawn lines to represent a checkerboard on the sandstone. We made our way to the east entrance and turned around to retrace our steps as we had a special treat planned - a sunset safari in an open-air vehicle! We had not told the kids about this, so it was a treat to them.
As we were waiting for the magical hour, we picnicked on ham and turkey sandwiches and chips. Not a gourmet meal, but we were together in one of the most beautiful places, what more could we want? An open air jeep ride at sunset!
Zion Sunset Safaris takes folks in modified Ford F250 trucks with a roll bar cage at the back and seating for 12. We would go onto "backcountry" routes (read REALLY BUMPY ROADS!!) and make it to a plateau to view the sunset. Our guide Bruce was great - he took us up the mountain and regaled us with stories and trivial bits as we went along.....like the bridge that we went over was originally completed in the 1930's.....and that the road that we were on was THE ROUTE from the town of Springdale to the Grand Canyon prior to the completion of the longer tunnel in Zion. Seems that the tunnel route took 60 miles off of the trip. He called the hill that we were traversing "Grafton's Hill" and my comment was that I would swapped the "i" in Hill for an "e" for a more apt description. That road was awful....bumpy does not begin to describe it....but for the view of the sunset and rising full moon, it was almost worth it. In addition to seeing a really neat sunset, we saw some cows with bells around their necks and their little calves. Bruce commented that "even Momma cows like their bling!" I agree!
Our safari ended after one last bump down Grafton Hill and going back over the ancient bridge
to our starting point at Majestic View Lodge. A short ride to the hotel later and we were ready for bed!
Click here for the sights of the day.....
Looking forward to Bryce Canyon and other interesting points on Saturday!
The Frolicking Featherstons
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Day 4 - 900 miles in!
Want to know how far it is from Layton, UT (north of Salt Lake City) to Cedar City? Just ask my bottom.....it is far!
We had to make a couple of stops looking for contact lenses....I know that I did not mention this earlier, as it just opens me, "The Queen of Planning & Bringing EVERYTHING" up to ridicule. See, I packed everything except spare contacts.....and as Murphy is my not-so-Guardian Angel, I got something in my eye Monday night and managed to not only wipe my contact out of my eye, I tore the darn thing in half! Tuesday was a full day on snowmobiling so I waited until Wednesday to call Carol at Dr. Murrell's office and have her fax my prescription......and then I visited an optical and was told "that is an older brand....we don't stock it." Several other opticals later, I ended up at, where else, WalMart! Got the new eyes in less than 20 minutes and I was back in the land of 20/20 vision! Off we were south-bound on I-15.
You think Houston has road construction? HA! Salt Lake City must have gotten a windfall and spent it all on major road construction.....orange barrels and cones line the roads. First stops were the Utah State Capitol then Council Hall and then onto Temple Square in downtown SLC. Council Hall is now home to several State offices - one of which is the Utah Film Commission. Did you know that Thelma & Louise, High School Musical and 127 Hours were filmed in Utah? n Neither did I - we both learned something today!
We've been to Temple Square before, but it was in November 2007 and wanted to see if they looked different at the end of winter as opposed to the end of fall.....and it does not.....pansies were still planted and blooming all around, miniature irises as well. There were no leaves on the trees, and bushes had been pruned for their Spring Debut. As the MercyMe song goes "I can only Imagine" what this place would be mid-Spring. No wonder there are more than 20 weddings here most spring weekends....no kidding!
We toured the Assembly Hall (built between 1877 and 1882) as well as the South Visitors Center and the Tabernacle - yes, the very one that has a choir named after it! There was a performance by that very same choir tonight, but since TQoP&BE (see above - The Queen of Planning & Bringing EVERYTHING) was not aprised of the schedule, we were not able to fit it in....
After Temple Square we set Garmina to guide us to the next stamp possibility - Timpanogos Cave Monument in the Uinta National Forest. As we were making our way there, we saw a sign that I made Chuck back up to so that I could take a picture of it -- it is a white sign with dark (maroon?) letters on it that say "Texas Longhorn Meat" and has the logo of the Dirty Spur Cattle Company. I looked at Chuck and said "Wow, an Aggie has made his way up here and is grilling BEVO!" I can't wait until our friends Dave and Karen see it -- they will WHOOP it up!
Back to the cave stuff.....we could not get in to the cave as it was closed for the season (how did I not know this? My crown will rust for sure......) but we met a ranger named Karissa whose father lives in Houston and she was so nice to allow us to use her stamp and stamp our Passport! We even got to feel one piece of a stalactite from the cave. Glassy smooth, and not as wet as those that are in the cave! There was a sign on the road as we were driving through the forest that indicated that for the next one mile, we could possibly see big horn sheep - but they must have gone south for the winter as they were not seen. Beautiful views though from the lookout at American Fork Canyon.
Making our way back to I-15, we questioned the kids about how they liked the hotel that we stayed in last night, (TownePlace Suites by Marriott - two bedroom unit) and Ryan responded "I could have done without Sissy".....Chuck and I almost choked....he has come out with some really funny sayings this week and it makes me wonder how he is when he is not around us. Seems that he got the best of both of senses of humor!
Click here to see the shots of the Utah State Capitol, Temple Square and some really pretty shots from the National Forest....last one is of the setting sun as we motored on south to Cedar City ....
Tomorrow we head to either Bryce Canyon or Zion National Park and possibly even Cedar Breaks National Monument. Since the full moon is Saturday night, there is a good chance we will have a shot at rising moon photos - I can't wait!
Have a great rest of the week - I know we will!
The Frolicking Featherstons.....
We had to make a couple of stops looking for contact lenses....I know that I did not mention this earlier, as it just opens me, "The Queen of Planning & Bringing EVERYTHING" up to ridicule. See, I packed everything except spare contacts.....and as Murphy is my not-so-Guardian Angel, I got something in my eye Monday night and managed to not only wipe my contact out of my eye, I tore the darn thing in half! Tuesday was a full day on snowmobiling so I waited until Wednesday to call Carol at Dr. Murrell's office and have her fax my prescription......and then I visited an optical and was told "that is an older brand....we don't stock it." Several other opticals later, I ended up at, where else, WalMart! Got the new eyes in less than 20 minutes and I was back in the land of 20/20 vision! Off we were south-bound on I-15.
You think Houston has road construction? HA! Salt Lake City must have gotten a windfall and spent it all on major road construction.....orange barrels and cones line the roads. First stops were the Utah State Capitol then Council Hall and then onto Temple Square in downtown SLC. Council Hall is now home to several State offices - one of which is the Utah Film Commission. Did you know that Thelma & Louise, High School Musical and 127 Hours were filmed in Utah? n Neither did I - we both learned something today!
We've been to Temple Square before, but it was in November 2007 and wanted to see if they looked different at the end of winter as opposed to the end of fall.....and it does not.....pansies were still planted and blooming all around, miniature irises as well. There were no leaves on the trees, and bushes had been pruned for their Spring Debut. As the MercyMe song goes "I can only Imagine" what this place would be mid-Spring. No wonder there are more than 20 weddings here most spring weekends....no kidding!
We toured the Assembly Hall (built between 1877 and 1882) as well as the South Visitors Center and the Tabernacle - yes, the very one that has a choir named after it! There was a performance by that very same choir tonight, but since TQoP&BE (see above - The Queen of Planning & Bringing EVERYTHING) was not aprised of the schedule, we were not able to fit it in....
After Temple Square we set Garmina to guide us to the next stamp possibility - Timpanogos Cave Monument in the Uinta National Forest. As we were making our way there, we saw a sign that I made Chuck back up to so that I could take a picture of it -- it is a white sign with dark (maroon?) letters on it that say "Texas Longhorn Meat" and has the logo of the Dirty Spur Cattle Company. I looked at Chuck and said "Wow, an Aggie has made his way up here and is grilling BEVO!" I can't wait until our friends Dave and Karen see it -- they will WHOOP it up!
Back to the cave stuff.....we could not get in to the cave as it was closed for the season (how did I not know this? My crown will rust for sure......) but we met a ranger named Karissa whose father lives in Houston and she was so nice to allow us to use her stamp and stamp our Passport! We even got to feel one piece of a stalactite from the cave. Glassy smooth, and not as wet as those that are in the cave! There was a sign on the road as we were driving through the forest that indicated that for the next one mile, we could possibly see big horn sheep - but they must have gone south for the winter as they were not seen. Beautiful views though from the lookout at American Fork Canyon.
Making our way back to I-15, we questioned the kids about how they liked the hotel that we stayed in last night, (TownePlace Suites by Marriott - two bedroom unit) and Ryan responded "I could have done without Sissy".....Chuck and I almost choked....he has come out with some really funny sayings this week and it makes me wonder how he is when he is not around us. Seems that he got the best of both of senses of humor!
Click here to see the shots of the Utah State Capitol, Temple Square and some really pretty shots from the National Forest....last one is of the setting sun as we motored on south to Cedar City ....
Tomorrow we head to either Bryce Canyon or Zion National Park and possibly even Cedar Breaks National Monument. Since the full moon is Saturday night, there is a good chance we will have a shot at rising moon photos - I can't wait!
Have a great rest of the week - I know we will!
The Frolicking Featherstons.....
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Traveling down the Yellowstone Road.....
Today we departed West Yellowstone, MT and vowed to come back! We had such a great time from the snowmobiling to the hotel stay. According to all we talked to, it is a spectacular showplace in the spring and summer.
We got to see lots more snow on the roads, houses, farms and trees than we saw Monday....pictures have been uploaded - click here to see the white wonders!
I got to drive in snow (caked on the ground.....ugh) as well as drive during a blowing snow storm which, while it is not one of my favorite things to do, I can say that I caused no damage to the rental car, nor did I scare any of the occupants of same rental car! Did you know that the speed limit in Idaho and Utah is 75 mpg? And yes, they do know how to drive up here at that speed!
We lunched in Pocatello, Idaho on Idaho Famous Potatoes.....mine was a baker as was Chuck's and Rachel and Ryan had mashed with white gravy.....I also had Idaho trout and it was fresh and delicious! Chuck tried the chicken fried steak...but had no comment on it....but I can tell it was not as good as a Texas chicken fried steak!
We made it to just north of Salt Lake City and found our hotel and much to Rachel's disgust, Mom had committed the ultimate sin in her eyes.....the hotel had an outdoor swimming pool - and it was CLOSED for the season. Boy, I had to promise to change our reservations for Sunday night as we were scheduled to stay in this same hotel......must remember that indoor swimming pool is number one on the list.....oh well, I have already made the change and confirmed to her that tonight should be the only night that she will not get to swim. I think that child was a fish in a former life!
Tomorrow we head south to Cedar City for two days to go explore Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. We will also try to see several other national monuments and historical sites. (And just in case you are wondering, yes, the hotels we are staying in for the rest of the trip DO have indoor swimming pools! :)
Stay tuned for more frolicking.....we're enjoying ourselves!
The Featherston Family
We got to see lots more snow on the roads, houses, farms and trees than we saw Monday....pictures have been uploaded - click here to see the white wonders!
I got to drive in snow (caked on the ground.....ugh) as well as drive during a blowing snow storm which, while it is not one of my favorite things to do, I can say that I caused no damage to the rental car, nor did I scare any of the occupants of same rental car! Did you know that the speed limit in Idaho and Utah is 75 mpg? And yes, they do know how to drive up here at that speed!
We lunched in Pocatello, Idaho on Idaho Famous Potatoes.....mine was a baker as was Chuck's and Rachel and Ryan had mashed with white gravy.....I also had Idaho trout and it was fresh and delicious! Chuck tried the chicken fried steak...but had no comment on it....but I can tell it was not as good as a Texas chicken fried steak!
We made it to just north of Salt Lake City and found our hotel and much to Rachel's disgust, Mom had committed the ultimate sin in her eyes.....the hotel had an outdoor swimming pool - and it was CLOSED for the season. Boy, I had to promise to change our reservations for Sunday night as we were scheduled to stay in this same hotel......must remember that indoor swimming pool is number one on the list.....oh well, I have already made the change and confirmed to her that tonight should be the only night that she will not get to swim. I think that child was a fish in a former life!
Tomorrow we head south to Cedar City for two days to go explore Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. We will also try to see several other national monuments and historical sites. (And just in case you are wondering, yes, the hotels we are staying in for the rest of the trip DO have indoor swimming pools! :)
Stay tuned for more frolicking.....we're enjoying ourselves!
The Featherston Family
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
There was NO TOMORROW!
We started planning this trip in December 2010 and as far as Yellowstone National Park is concerned, there was no tomorrow....it was today or go home without snowmobiling through the one of the greatest wilderness areas of our country!
We arrived yesterday and noticed a lack of visitors, and when we made our reservations with Yellowstone Adventures, we were told that the National Park would close at 9pm on Tuesday, March 15. It would close to allow the bears to awake from hibernation without feasting on humans, and it would allow the park employees a break as Mother Nature waved her magic wand and melted the snow. Knowing how fickle Mother Nature can be, the park staff also needs time to plow the many miles of roadway to remove the snow that has piled up.....and let me tell you, there is A LOT of the white stuff, and some brown stuff! I just can't believe that there were not many more people like us -- you know, the ones that wait until the last minute to do something?
So, we started today at the Chamber of Commerce to get our National Parks Annual Pass and once we had that in-hand, we proceeded to Yellowstone Adventures for our day on snowmobiles. We were able to rent the complete gear package as well as the snowmobiles and what a good decision that turned out to be. We were give face masks, gloves, helmets, and the weather-impervious jumpsuits. (We had all dressed in layers so we had a good start - not a one of us got cold - except for Chuck's nose!)
We got suited up, saddled up and away we went! It was snowing as we took off and it just got better. We were less than 7 miles into the park and made our first stop to gawk at elk getting water from the Madison River. There was so much snow that we all ended up knee deep in the drifts just trying to get close enough to get pictures of the animals. Within five steps I buried my leg up to my knee ( each time!) and had to be rescued several times. So you are probably laughing now, but let me tell you, the first one who calls me "Knee Deep" will get a snowball thrown directly at them!
Throughout our travels we saw about 200 head of bison, one bald eagle, one chipmunk (he darted out between our snowmobiles!) and lots of elk and Canadian Geese.
We stopped at the Upper Geyser Basin and like other times, neatly parked our snowmobiles in orderly rows as directed. Our guide Dan implored us to take all backpacks with us and leave nothing behind on the snowmobiles. He recounted a story of how he had left his backpack on his ride and asked several who were not taking the walk to the geysers to keep an eye on his pack and not let the ravens get in to it. When he returned to his machine, not only had the raven gotten into his backpack, he had discarded Dan's possessions as trash as he emptied the backpack. He even "tagged" Dan's seat with raven poop. Dan was a little put out and asked those that had stayed behind what happened, and they replied, "just what you think happened, and we have pictures to prove it!". Having heard that I unbungeed my backpack and told the raven in the tree to find some other bag to play with. Little did I know that upon our return, I would find his "tag" on my machine!
We walked on snowcovered boardwalks and saw various geothermal examples like Celestine Pond, Clepsydra Geyser, Jelly Geyser, Fountain Paint Pots as well as cactus growing amidst them all! The boardwalks throughout the area were packed with snow - about 2ft deep in some areas, and some spots had melted and turned to ice. I did a fancy jig at one point and stayed vertical despite the ice! I turned to the folks following us and said "Consider that a public service announcement with fancy dance!"
We saddled up, and headed out to explore more of the frozen wonderland. Humming along at 35 mpg on snow, with a powerful machine under you gives you a Harley feeling -- you know, like when you ride a Harley then you have to go buy one cuz you need to feel that feeling again? Well, you've been warned....
As you can expect the journey had a destination - Old Faithful Geyser. We arrived at the Visitor's Center, ate lunch, shopped and got our National Parks Passport stamped, and again did our part to bolster the local economy! After the display by Old Faithful we headed back to the snowmobiles for the return journey.
We visited Firehole Falls at Firehole Canyon (got to find out why they named it this.....) and despite the warming temperatures (locals said today was supposed to be a warm one -- look for the one that took that seriously in the photos!), it was still snowing as we completed our day in Yellowstone. Snowmobile riding is so fun, except when the snow turns to slush and mush, and your tail end swings out wildly, much like some folks' dancing! (But you got to admit, it is fun to watch!)
After returning to the hotel, the snow continued so Rachel and Ryan built a snow fort, climbed the snow drift that was shown in first photos from yesterday and generally had a good time playing in the snow.....what fun they have! Chuck and I watched it all from the warmth of the hotel room and thought "ain't life grand?". Yes, it is!
Click here to see all the photos we took (yes, even Chuck took pictures with "our" camera!). I let the kids take photos with our older Kodak cameras today and will cull through those photos and post the really funny ones.....I will tell you though that they consider themselves photographers and refer to the Kodak cameras as "their cameras"!
We are off to Salt Lake City tomorrow, one night there then south to Cedar City which will be our "base" as we explore Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks....and any other "National" sites I can convince Chuck into stopping at so I can get stamps for my passport!
Check in later for more frolicking.....
The Featherston Family
We arrived yesterday and noticed a lack of visitors, and when we made our reservations with Yellowstone Adventures, we were told that the National Park would close at 9pm on Tuesday, March 15. It would close to allow the bears to awake from hibernation without feasting on humans, and it would allow the park employees a break as Mother Nature waved her magic wand and melted the snow. Knowing how fickle Mother Nature can be, the park staff also needs time to plow the many miles of roadway to remove the snow that has piled up.....and let me tell you, there is A LOT of the white stuff, and some brown stuff! I just can't believe that there were not many more people like us -- you know, the ones that wait until the last minute to do something?
So, we started today at the Chamber of Commerce to get our National Parks Annual Pass and once we had that in-hand, we proceeded to Yellowstone Adventures for our day on snowmobiles. We were able to rent the complete gear package as well as the snowmobiles and what a good decision that turned out to be. We were give face masks, gloves, helmets, and the weather-impervious jumpsuits. (We had all dressed in layers so we had a good start - not a one of us got cold - except for Chuck's nose!)
We got suited up, saddled up and away we went! It was snowing as we took off and it just got better. We were less than 7 miles into the park and made our first stop to gawk at elk getting water from the Madison River. There was so much snow that we all ended up knee deep in the drifts just trying to get close enough to get pictures of the animals. Within five steps I buried my leg up to my knee ( each time!) and had to be rescued several times. So you are probably laughing now, but let me tell you, the first one who calls me "Knee Deep" will get a snowball thrown directly at them!
Throughout our travels we saw about 200 head of bison, one bald eagle, one chipmunk (he darted out between our snowmobiles!) and lots of elk and Canadian Geese.
We stopped at the Upper Geyser Basin and like other times, neatly parked our snowmobiles in orderly rows as directed. Our guide Dan implored us to take all backpacks with us and leave nothing behind on the snowmobiles. He recounted a story of how he had left his backpack on his ride and asked several who were not taking the walk to the geysers to keep an eye on his pack and not let the ravens get in to it. When he returned to his machine, not only had the raven gotten into his backpack, he had discarded Dan's possessions as trash as he emptied the backpack. He even "tagged" Dan's seat with raven poop. Dan was a little put out and asked those that had stayed behind what happened, and they replied, "just what you think happened, and we have pictures to prove it!". Having heard that I unbungeed my backpack and told the raven in the tree to find some other bag to play with. Little did I know that upon our return, I would find his "tag" on my machine!
We walked on snowcovered boardwalks and saw various geothermal examples like Celestine Pond, Clepsydra Geyser, Jelly Geyser, Fountain Paint Pots as well as cactus growing amidst them all! The boardwalks throughout the area were packed with snow - about 2ft deep in some areas, and some spots had melted and turned to ice. I did a fancy jig at one point and stayed vertical despite the ice! I turned to the folks following us and said "Consider that a public service announcement with fancy dance!"
We saddled up, and headed out to explore more of the frozen wonderland. Humming along at 35 mpg on snow, with a powerful machine under you gives you a Harley feeling -- you know, like when you ride a Harley then you have to go buy one cuz you need to feel that feeling again? Well, you've been warned....
As you can expect the journey had a destination - Old Faithful Geyser. We arrived at the Visitor's Center, ate lunch, shopped and got our National Parks Passport stamped, and again did our part to bolster the local economy! After the display by Old Faithful we headed back to the snowmobiles for the return journey.
We visited Firehole Falls at Firehole Canyon (got to find out why they named it this.....) and despite the warming temperatures (locals said today was supposed to be a warm one -- look for the one that took that seriously in the photos!), it was still snowing as we completed our day in Yellowstone. Snowmobile riding is so fun, except when the snow turns to slush and mush, and your tail end swings out wildly, much like some folks' dancing! (But you got to admit, it is fun to watch!)
After returning to the hotel, the snow continued so Rachel and Ryan built a snow fort, climbed the snow drift that was shown in first photos from yesterday and generally had a good time playing in the snow.....what fun they have! Chuck and I watched it all from the warmth of the hotel room and thought "ain't life grand?". Yes, it is!
Click here to see all the photos we took (yes, even Chuck took pictures with "our" camera!). I let the kids take photos with our older Kodak cameras today and will cull through those photos and post the really funny ones.....I will tell you though that they consider themselves photographers and refer to the Kodak cameras as "their cameras"!
We are off to Salt Lake City tomorrow, one night there then south to Cedar City which will be our "base" as we explore Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks....and any other "National" sites I can convince Chuck into stopping at so I can get stamps for my passport!
Check in later for more frolicking.....
The Featherston Family
Monday, March 14, 2011
We found SNOW!!!
Well, we started the day in Houston at just aunder 60 degrees, (at 4 AM no less!) and definitely no SNOW! Made our flights with no problems, other than some very chatty and almost obnoxious teenage girls. We made it to Las Vegas ($5 doesn't go far in a nickel slot machine) and Ryan and I were treated to the sight of a hot air balloon rising over the mountains in the distance as our plane taxied to take off...what a sight! Chuck and Rachel were sitting on the opposite side of the plane (my idea of "divide and conquer" as far as traveling with 7 year olds.... :) ) so they only got to see other planes landing and taking off.
Arrived in Salt Lake City with no problems, got our luggage, and then secured the rental SUV. Our trusty Garmina is along for the ride so we plugged in the address to our hotel in West Yellowstone, MT and off we went.....5 hours and 24 minutes, fifteen different states license plates sightings (yes, we saw a TEXAS plate all the way up here!) later, we pulled into the Chamber of Commerce in West Yellowstone to purchase the Annual Pass for the National Parks, only to discover that the ranger left between 4 and 4:30! We'll try again tomorrow morning prior to our adventure.
We toured West Yellowstone and managed to stimulate the local economy with purchase of supplies and dinner...pizza! Wild West Pizzeria has some really good pizza - we tried the "Sitting Bull" pizza and were not disappointed!
We ended the day just above freezing with snow flakes blowing around us. We swam in the heated pool at the hotel and relaxed in the whirlpool.....nice way to sit and look at the snowflakes swirling in the lights!
We took a few shots of the local scenery and have uploaded them to our gallery......click here to take a peek!
Tomorrow we are off to get our Annual Pass then hop aboard snowmobiles for an all day adventure through Yellowstone National Park! After the snow that we saw today, we are all very excited about zooming across the snow and seeing the wildlife, flora and fauna that this beautiful area has to offer.
Stay tuned.....
The Featherstons
Arrived in Salt Lake City with no problems, got our luggage, and then secured the rental SUV. Our trusty Garmina is along for the ride so we plugged in the address to our hotel in West Yellowstone, MT and off we went.....5 hours and 24 minutes, fifteen different states license plates sightings (yes, we saw a TEXAS plate all the way up here!) later, we pulled into the Chamber of Commerce in West Yellowstone to purchase the Annual Pass for the National Parks, only to discover that the ranger left between 4 and 4:30! We'll try again tomorrow morning prior to our adventure.
We toured West Yellowstone and managed to stimulate the local economy with purchase of supplies and dinner...pizza! Wild West Pizzeria has some really good pizza - we tried the "Sitting Bull" pizza and were not disappointed!
We ended the day just above freezing with snow flakes blowing around us. We swam in the heated pool at the hotel and relaxed in the whirlpool.....nice way to sit and look at the snowflakes swirling in the lights!
We took a few shots of the local scenery and have uploaded them to our gallery......click here to take a peek!
Tomorrow we are off to get our Annual Pass then hop aboard snowmobiles for an all day adventure through Yellowstone National Park! After the snow that we saw today, we are all very excited about zooming across the snow and seeing the wildlife, flora and fauna that this beautiful area has to offer.
Stay tuned.....
The Featherstons
Friday, March 11, 2011
We're off on another Family Frolic!
Just a "head's up" that we will be visiting a few of our National Parks soon - with the trip starting off in Salt Lake City, UT and us visiting Yellowstone National Park on Tuesday. We will be on snowmobiles and can't wait!
Follow us here as we post our frolics....you can live vicariously through us at no charge and in the comfort of the heat and humidity of Houston (or wherever you are!).
Frolicking to follow.....you've been warned!
The Featherston Family
Follow us here as we post our frolics....you can live vicariously through us at no charge and in the comfort of the heat and humidity of Houston (or wherever you are!).
Frolicking to follow.....you've been warned!
The Featherston Family
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)